By the Idaho Press-Tribune Staff
The Pioneer News Group Co., parent company of the Idaho Press-Tribune, has sold its media division assets to family-owned Adams Publishing Group.
The sale included 22 daily and weekly newspapers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Utah, along with a commercial print facility. In the Treasure Valley, in addition to the Idaho Press-Tribune, the sale included the Meridian Press, the Kuna Melba News and the Emmett Messenger Index.
In Idaho, the Idaho State-Journal in Pocatello is included in … [Read more...]

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Andy Pennington has been named the new publisher of the Anchorage Daily News, a position he will start on March 4. Pennington currently is the publisher of the Idaho State Journal in Pocatello, and also oversees other publications in the region owned by the Pioneer News Group, including the Idaho Falls Post Register; Pioneer News Group was sold to Adams Publishing Group in October.
At the Post Register, Pennington replaced Roger Plothow, who had been Post Register publisher since 2002; Plothow was named the president of Adams … [Read more...]

By Audrey Dutton
Some of the best stories in journalism are the ones that make you wonder, "How'd they find out about that?" or "How'd they get that person to talk?"
This year, the Press Club's Southwest Chapter brings you the story behind the stories, at the IPC’s annual fall professional development conference.
You'll leave with tips for tackling sensitive topics, crafting a compelling narrative, dealing with "alternative news," rising to the occasion when a local story goes national -- and, of course, fact-finding … [Read more...]

Making our courts coverage better
The rule of law and the role of the judiciary
By Betsy Russell
Those who attended last year’s Idaho Press Club fall conference had the opportunity to hear from former University of Idaho College of Law dean, and former Idaho Court of Appeals judge, Don Burnett, on the media’s role in shaping accurate public perceptions of the courts and their role in our American system of justice – something that’s widely misunderstood in our society today. Now, we are working with Burnett, Attorneys … [Read more...]

KBOI/KYUU TV
Journalist Sarah Jacobsen has joined KBOI/KYUU, from sister station KLEW in Lewiston.
MOSCOW-PULLMAN DAILY NEWS
Kara McMurray was hired as a newsroom assistant at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News on Sept. 3. She previously worked as a reporter/photographer/editor at the Whitman County Gazette in Colfax, Wash. She is a 2014 graduate of the Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University and is studying online for a master's in communication management from USC-Annenberg.
Taylor Nadauld has left the … [Read more...]

The history of Idaho Public Television – the public TV network that consistently has the highest percentage of viewers among its state residents of any in the country – has been a story of ups and downs, in funding and programming, as politics, public information and public funding have intertwined over the years. Now that the network has passed its 50th birthday, Royce Williams, who as an Idaho Fish & Game employee in the early 1980s helped create “Outdoor Idaho” with Idaho PTV’s Peter Morrill, chronicles that history, in which varying … [Read more...]

Interviewed by Scott McIntosh
Ryan is the news director at KBOI2 News and is a member of the Idaho Press Club board.
Q: Where were you born and where did you grow up?
A: I was born and raised in Yakima, Washington.
Q: How and why did you get into TV journalism?
A: My parents were big fans of local news. As a young child, I watched it with them every day. I didn’t care so much for the news, but enjoyed the interaction between the people who delivered the news. Little did I know at the time, the relationship I watched the … [Read more...]

By Royce Williams
For 50 years of Idaho Public Television’s existence, the network’s budget has been the best and the worst story, usually the result of the network’s somewhat schizophrenic relationship with the Legislature.
Every budget is a river with funds rarely at flood stage but just as rarely at drought stage. IdahoPTV has experienced both. As a general rule, any organization sitting on the shore is ultimately measured by its reaction to funding levels. It is tougher when the organization has little or no control over the … [Read more...]

Honoring the best in Idaho journalismBy Deanna Darr
It’s time to reserve your spot at the annual Best of 2016 Awards Banquet, where we’ll be honoring this year’s award winners. Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 6, to join the party celebrating some of the best work done by Idaho journalists in the last year.
This year, we’re gathering at the Riverside Hotel, 2900 W. Chinden Blvd., for our once-a-year excuse to get dressed up and celebrate. We’ll gather in the ballroom on the east side of the building – right … [Read more...]

By Mike Prater(NOTE: This article first appeared on Mike Prater’s Facebook page on April 3, and is reprinted here by permission)
Words I thought I would never type ... Thirty-seven years after my high school yearbook said I would one day become sports editor at the Idaho Statesman, and nearly 28 years after taking a job at my dream newspaper in my beloved homestate, I have resigned.
The decision was made last week and the emotions of the past six days have been off the charts. Even after a weekend getaway to the … [Read more...]

By Betsy Russell
Happy Sunshine Week, everyone! That’s the week each March when, nationwide, we celebrate openness in government and access to public information. And here in Idaho, we’ve had some gains in that area, including a unanimous House vote – 70-0 – just yesterday in favor of expanding the Idaho Open Meeting Law.
That bill, HB 273, would add boards, commissions or councils created by executive order to the law; it now heads to the Senate. … [Read more...]

Coming up at TreefortBy Frankie Barnhill
Boise’s Treefort Music Fest (March 22-26) isn’t just about the music. This year, the festival will include some rockstar-caliber journalists sharing a behind-the-scenes look at their craft.
Topping the Hackfort billing is a live taping of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast Friday, March 24 at 5:00 p.m. FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief Nate Silver will be joined on stage at the Egyptian Theatre by podcast host and producer Jody Avirgan, political reporters Clare Malone, Harry … [Read more...]

Ruth Brown, former reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune, has joined the Idaho Statesman in Boise as a reporter.
Todd Dvorak, former director of communications for the Idaho Attorney General’s office and former Boise AP correspondent, is now the city editor of the Idaho Press-Tribune.
Jake Melder, former KIVI-TV reporter, has joined the Idaho Transportation Department as a public information specialist. … [Read more...]

By Betsy Russell
We were all pretty excited when Sara Thomas, the new administrative director of Idaho’s courts, told us at the Press Club’s Fall Conference this year that she believes folks should be allowed to take a picture of a court document with their phone, rather than pay $1 a page for a photocopy.
But Thomas had to follow up after the conference with this caveat: While courts have no legal authority to charge you $1 a page for taking a picture of a court document with your phone, under current law, the elected county … [Read more...]